LOS ANGELES - A plan to stage the Academy Awards show a month earlier in future years is a near certainty, said an Academy Awards official.
The board of governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted in June to explore moving the Oscar show from March to February in 2004.
The Academy recently received approval for such a shift from its new venue, the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, and the ABC network, which broadcasts the live event.
"I think you could consider this a done deal," Academy executive director Bruce Davis said Thursday in the trade newspaper Variety.
The board has voted to change dates "as a two-year experiment," according to Davis, who added, "This is an experiment worth trying."
The organization has fielded complaints in recent years that the Oscar season lasts too long, with in-between award shows sapping the Academy Awards of some drama while creating a bitter month of campaigning among studios that spend millions promoting their films for Academy consideration.
The move affects the Oscars in 2004, which have not yet been formally scheduled. Next spring's show remains on track for March 23.
© 2002 Associated Press